Over years or decades, hepatitis B and C can lead to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer. While there is an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, no such vaccine yet exists for hepatitis C. Estimates indicate that 150 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis C, including some 7 million who are HIV/HCV coinfected.

In April the WHO released its first-ever guidelines for screening, care, and treatment for people with hepatitis C. At the recent World Health Assembly in May, nearly 200 countries endorsed a resolution calling for comprehensive action both at a global level and within individual countries.

With the advent of new effective and well-tolerated treatments for hepatitis C, some experts think it is possible to eliminate the disease if the new drugs can be made widely available at affordable prices -- especially to undertreated populations such as people who inject drugs.

World Hepatitis Day press briefing, July 23, 2014

7/28/14

Sources

World Hepatitis Day press briefing. 20th International AIDS Conference. Melbourne, July 23, 2014.